Impasse
by Viviene Wilde
Summary: They are in a deadlock. He always has the odds bent in his favour and she makes her own luck. Soon, the deadpool will be ready and the dominoes will have fallen.
1. Chapter 1

Impasse

Part One

The perfectly calculated operation he had tirelessly built up over the past five years, his life's devotion, was slowly crumbling to pieces before his eyes. The foundation first began to crack when Logan had turned and walked away, too morally uptight to be part of something great. After that, the bricks started to fall away, one by one, whether by choice or other, not so pleasant, means. Soon, there was no one left, save Wade and Victor. Wade stayed to chase some false, nonexistent cure until his days were wasted and Victor, well Victor only stayed because he had nowhere else to place his rage. They were still a team of sorts, though Wade was too weak in his sickness and Victor too passionate in his violence. This left William Stryker in a rather difficult position, not that his calm and collected demeanour suffered in the least bit. He had a backup plan, an idea that would salvage what was left of his empire and resurrect all that he held sacred.

She was a bombshell by anyone's standards – dark, deadly, and deliciously curvy. Genetically, she should have been considered an abomination. Cloned from her mother's DNA and modified to be an ideal fighter, she was also gifted with the mutant ability to alter probabilities in her favour. She was lucky and William Stryker needed a little bit of luck. Because of her fiery and uncontrollable nature, the downfall of humanity, she was rejected from the program that created her and sent to Stryker from an old colleague to be used in his experiments. However, William was going to use her for so much more. She was to be his redeemer. Fiery and uncontrollable were nothing he could not handle. After all, he had succeeded in taming Wade and Victor.

---x

Wade Wilson was staring at the stucco ceiling, attempting to count the tiny white bumps for the hundredth time. He always lost his place somewhere around fifty-eight. He wasn't exactly sure how it had happened. One day, he felt fine and the next there were discoloured lesions all over his body. Advanced melanoma – that's what the doctor had called it. It could spread to other organs and tissues if you don't treat it, Mr. Wilson – that's what the doctor had said. That was seven months ago and Wade was still breathing, albeit it was more difficult now. He could feel death's cold fingers resting on the back of his neck, just bidding their time before they wrapped around him and cut off all the oxygen.

"Up and at 'em, Wilson. Get off your lazy ass."

There was a loud knocking at his bedroom door to accompany the obnoxious shouting. Wade grimaced, instantly recognized the gnawing voice as that of Victor Creed.

"Bite me, Creed," Wade said, just loud enough that Victor would be able to hear. Wade listened with a grin as Victor snarled from outside.

"Don't make me come in there and get you," came the growled warning.

"Wouldn't think of it, mother," Wade chuckled as he rolled out of bed. He caught a glimpse of himself in the mirror and frowned. His grey sweatpants were hanging loosely around his disappearing waste and his bare chest was nowhere near as impressive as it used to be. Rubbing his sunken eyes, Wade opened the door and came face to face with an agitated looking Victor.

"Don't get your knickers in a knot," Wade muttered, playfully slapping his partner on the cheek, "I'm all yours. What do you want?"

"Stryker wants us to meet someone," Victor said as calmly as he could, his dark eyes glinting dangerously in the dim lights of the hallway.

"Oh goody," Wade rubbed his hands together like a child, "Take me to our leader." He smirked at Victor, knowing that the larger man could do nothing to harm him without severe repercussions. Wade figured he was hardly worth the trouble.

He began to follow Victor down the hall, walking a familiar path he had walked thousands of times – straight to Stryker's office. He wondered if they were getting a new team mate, fresh meat for him to pick on. Wade was seriously running out of Victor jokes and needed a chance to flex his comedic muscles.

Down two flights of stairs and around three corners, Wade and Victor stood outside of an impressive looking oak door. Victor knocked three times, gently.

"Why don't you knock on my door like that?" Wade questioned, "Instead of trying to punch a hole through it?"

"Cause I hate you," Victor answered simply as he let himself into the office, Wade following close behind. He immediately saw the mile-long legs in black leather and the smouldering eyes behind dark tresses and wished he had remembered to put on a shirt.

---x

The first thing she noticed was his cadaverous chest – covered in dark blotches. She let her eyes linger a little bit too long on the area she knew was once muscled. He caught her staring and shot her a dirty look. Ashamed, she instantly dropped her eyes to the floor. That had to be Wade – the dying soldier.

"Gentlemen," Stryker's voice rang out from where he was seated behind his desk, "This is Neena Thurman."

As if taking a cue, she stepped away from the side of his desk and up to the two men, noticing the hungry eyes of the stronger one, who she assumed was Victor. She had been briefed on the pair before their meeting. Quickly, she shook his hand and ignored his attempt at a charming smile, moving on to Wade. He still looked angry, though there was a grin playing at his lips.

"Neena, huh?" He took in the dark circle that surrounded her left eye, against pale white skin.

"Actually," she grinned back, "I prefer Domino."

Author's Note:

_Hello there, thanks for reading this far. Please review and let me know if you like it or not. If you do, I shall continue. If not, I shall try again. Constructive criticism and compliments are equally welcome. I do not own anything from the Marvel Universe. This is my attempt to bring Domino into movie-verse. Again, give me your opinion. Thanks. –Viviene._


	2. Chapter 2

Impasse

Part Two

It was a particularly nasty clap of thunder that pulled Wade from his already restless sleep. He lay quietly for a few minutes, listening to the rain pounding against the walls of Stryker's fortress. Slowly, Wade felt a dry tickle creep up into his throat and decided he needed a drink, though water was not exactly what he had in mind. Glancing over at the glowing red numbers of his bedside alarm clock, Wade saw that it was just past two in the morning. He had taken his last pills at six the previous evening –eight hours meant that they were probably just about out of his system, leaving him free to drink whatever he desired, however detrimental to his health it could be.

Wade rolled out of bed, tossing a tattered old pair of black sweats over his boxers, and crept out of his room, careful to avoid the creaking floorboard just outside his door. He didn't want to wake anyone. He didn't want any company. It had been a long day. After meeting the girl – Domino as she insisted they called her – he had been on guard duty. It was not a particularly difficult job, but even the simplest tasks took a lot out of him. Wade hated it – he hated himself for being so damn weak. He had gone from being a super soldier to a joke. Once Stryker delivered his cure – that was their deal after all – Wade would be back on top of his game. No more pitiful looks or snickers behind his back. Any of that would be dealt with promptly and the perpetrator would never have to worry about crossing anyone ever again.

He neared the kitchen, noticing a dim light emanating from the room. Wade rolled his eyes. He should have known someone else would be awake on a night like this. No matter though, nothing would detour him from the beer waiting in the fridge. Wade rounded the corner into the kitchen and felt his heart wallop in his chest.

Domino was sitting at the table, a candle lit in front of her and a bottle of Jack Daniel's in her hands. She looked up at Wade when he entered, her pale skin looking like porcelain in the candlelight. Giving him a small smile, she rolled down the sleeves to her grey sweatshirt and crossed her bare legs under her. Wade nodded in her direction, opening the fridge and grabbing a beer. She watched him the whole time, her eyebrows raised so high they disappeared beneath her choppy black bangs.

"What?" Wade slammed the fridge a little bit harder than he intended and leaned against the counter, popping open his bottle and taking a long swig.

"Isn't that stuff bad for you?" she questioned, taking a sip of her own drink.

"You don't seem to care," Wade motioned to the bottle in her hands.

"I'm not dying," she shot back, her tone a bit harsh. That had hit a sour note. Wade slammed his beer bottle down on the counter, shattering it into a thousand tiny fragments. She watched nonchalantly, as if his antics were nothing out of the ordinary.

"Why don't you mind your own business?" Wade turned his back to her, waiting for a reply. None came. It kind of bothered him. Finally, he heard a heavy sigh and slight footsteps padding across the ceramic floor. He felt slender arms wrap around his fading torso and a soft cheek rest on his tired back.

"You okay, Wilson?" she muttered. Wade could feel her hot breath on his skin. It made him tingle.

"Peachy," he replied, closing his eyes and thinking rather obscene things.

"Well then," she smiled against his back, "Be my guest." Suddenly, she was gone. Wade could no longer feel her touch, her breath. He slowly turned on his heels, catching sight of her sitting back down at the table. He joined her, after grabbing a new beer, of course.

"So, what are you doing here?" he asked, elbows propped up on the wooden surface, eyes ablaze, watching her intently.

"I don't like thunderstorms," she replied, "They make me nervous."

"Not exactly what I meant," Wade chuckled, "Why are you on the Island?"

"Not sure," Domino shrugged, "All I know is Stryker, um, hired me to bring a little luck into the operation. It's what I do."

"Interesting," Wade mused aloud, "So, do you know where the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow really is, Lucky?"

"That wasn't funny, Wilson."

"I know," he frowned, "My material has been suffering lately." The pair fell into an awkward silence, broken only by the sound of liquids running down throats and glass softly hitting wood.

"What do you do?" Domino asked.

"Kill things," Wade answered simply, "It's what I do."

"Assassin?" she asked.

"Mercenary. Stryker pays the best. He's going to pay me with a cure."

"Oh," Domino got a strange look in her eyes, somewhere between annoyance and pity, "I didn't think there was one."

"One what?" Wade asked the question, though he already knew the answer.

"A cure," she looked down at her knees.

"There is." Wade's voice was cold and void of any emotion. Domino felt pity rise in her throat, and quickly swallowed it. So what, he was disillusioned. It wasn't her problem. Quickly, she decided that the conversation needed to be changed.

"So, you like guns?" she grinned.

"They're alright," Wade looked up, a playful fire suddenly back in his face, "Swords are better."

"Yeah right," she laughed.

"What do you know about weaponry?"

"I know guns kick ass."

"Do you want to put your money where your mouth is?" Wade followed up his question by finishing up his beer and grabbing her bottle of whiskey and draining it as well, just for good measure.

"Maybe I do," Domino smirked at him, not at all upset with the fact that her alcohol had been taken from her. Wade was fun. The two stared at each other forcefully, neither one blinking. Silence fell again, this time broken only by the howling of the wind outside.

"You're really hot," Wade said, once again proving that there was no filter between his brain and his mouth. Domino laughed and blew out the candle, which had almost completely burnt away.

"What are you doing?" Wade asked as he felt a hand rest on his knee.

"Setting the mood," came a hushed response. Wade grinned, suddenly finding a newfound love for thunderstorms.

---x

Neena woke the next morning to sun streaming through the window of her bedroom. She really needed to invest in some curtains. Relatively sore and exhausted, Neena hopped out of bed and stretching her arms, checked the time. She still had an hour and fifteen minutes before she had to report for guard duty which left her plenty of time to shower. Removing her clothes from the previous night, Neena ambled into the bathroom that adjoined her bedroom and jumped straight into the shower, turning the water on as hot as possible.

Her head was spinning. She was unsure of so many things, how she had returned to her bedroom being one and Wade being another. What was she doing? Not only did they work together, but he was dying. If she…she could barely even bring herself to think about it, but if she fell in love with him, it would only end in her heartbreak. She couldn't let it happen. There was nothing at all charming about his witty personality and the rough edges that surrounded a strangely warm heart. She knew he had brought her back upstairs after she had fallen asleep. It must have been a challenge. Her room was two floors above his.

With a heavy sigh, Neena rested her forehead against the cool tiles of the shower wall. She wasn't exactly happy being here, but it was a whole lot better than where she had come from. As the water began to turn from boiling to lukewarm, Neena gently stepped out of the shower and towelled off her blunt hair.

Once back in her bedroom, fully dressed in tight black pants and a white tank top, Neena placed a holster on either of her hips and filled each with a shotgun. Smiling and fully armed, she left her room, heading down to the cellblock for duty – not that she understood what was so important about guarding.

As she sauntered down to the basement, Neena had no idea how interesting her day was to become.

Author's Note

Hope that was enjoyable. Please review and let me know what you thought. A big thanks to everyone who is reading this. –Viviene.


	3. Chapter 3

Impasse

Part Three

The cell block of the island was a miserable place – dark, damp, and overrun with a strange assortment of insects. Neena silently walked down the rows of cells, hand resting on her gun to provide her with some sort of comfort. All her life – if you could call it such – she had been on the other side of those bars; a prisoner with little rights and even less food. It was a strange feeling standing on the other side of the scenario and Neena couldn't quite tell what the gnawing feeling in the pit of her stomach was. She was certain it wasn't nerves, though there were eyes watching her from every direction, some very normal while others glowed odd colours. That didn't bother her; she was used to being leered at. At the end of the room, there appeared to be an empty cell. Neena leaned against it, turning and facing the entire string of cells, watching the occupants as their spirits slowly broke. Unconsciously, she began to bite her lip.

"Somet'in' de matter?"

With lightning reflexes, Neena whipped around, gun in hand. There was a frail looking man concealed in the shadows of the apparently not-so-empty cell. He was still safely behind bars and didn't seem threatening in the least, so Neena placed her gun back in its holster. She turned her back to the man and resumed watching the other mutants. After a moment or so, she heard his raspy voice again.

"You dunn' speak, or somet'in'?"

Neena clenched her teeth, wondering if all the prisoners were this annoying – given the chance to be.

"Not to you," she muttered coldly, taking a few steps away from the cell.

"Oh," was his quiet reply. Even with her back to him, Neena could practically see a grin lighting up his lips. There was another moment of no noise on his part, and then, "You seem…different."

"How so?" Neena asked. Her mind was screaming at her to walk away and be a soldier; to do the job she was hired to do, but Neena used to be this man. She used to be every mutant in that room. As such, her heart would not let her simply walk away.

"You look at dem differen'ly," he answered, "Like dere human bein's an' not science experiments."

"So what?" Neena growled, her voice not nearly as menacing as she had hoped for it to be.

"So, who are you?"

"None of your business," Neena replied, turning around. She was shocked to see that the man she had been having a conversation with was now leaning against the bars of his cell, looking out at her with fierce red eyes. Everything about him, except those eyes, looked weak and tired. His cheeks were sunken and his shirt hung loosely against a delicate chest. Even with the tousled, unwashed hair, there was something ruggedly handsome about him. Neena couldn't help but to be reminded of Wade, realizing that while not a prisoner of Stryker, Wade was not a free man. Everything he did was dictated by his disease. He was a prisoner in his own body. Neena was unsure which fate was worse.

"You still dere?" asked the man, a slight smirk on his pale lips as he watched Neena's eyes grow wide with a mix of emotions. Upon his question, she snapped back to reality and her eyes narrowed at him.

"Who are you?" she asked.

"De name's Remy LeBeau," he answered, nodding his head a bit, even though the muscles in his neck were unimaginably stiff from sleeping on the floor for three months.

"Domino," Neena said, her voice softer than before. Remy grinned at her.

"Oh, so we're goin' wit de nicknames," he attempted a chuckle, though it sounded much more like a gravely cough, "In dat case, de name is Gambit."

"Gambit?" Neena raised her eyebrows. Stryker had told her about this fellow. He could charge items with kinetic energy, exploding them on impact. That's not what she cared about, though. Gambit was also a card shark, apparently the best there was. He earned his nickname from the guards on the Island, having bet each of them in every imaginable game. It was the gamble that Neena found intriguing.

"You play cards?" Neena shifted her weight onto one leg, placing a hand on her opposite hip.

"My reputation precedes me den?" he still had that smirk on his face, "Excellent."

"We should play one day," Neena grinned back dangerously, "I bet I'd beat you."

"Dem is fightin' words, chére," he spoke with a playful tone, "What makes you t'ink you could beat me?"

"I'm a lucky girl," Neena replied, "Plain and simple."

"I make you a deal," Remy said, "We play when I get outta here, mais non?"

"Sure," Neena smiled weakly, not having the heart to tell the only way he was getting out of this place was in a body bag. "I've got to get going though," she muttered, no longer wanting to stay by this cage. Neena had suddenly realized what the feeling in her stomach was.

She headed to the opposite end of the cell block and finished her final hour of duty there, avoiding looking in the direction of Remy's prison at all.

"Thurman," there was an unfamiliar voice calling her. Neena turned around to see a small Japanese man standing in a uniform similar to her own, holding a gun.

"Yeah?"

"Agent Zero," he held out his hand for a shake, "I'm here to cover for you."

"Oh," Neena stared at him sideways, "I thought…where's Creed?" She knew that Victor was the one who was supposed to take over her shift and she had never met this Zero character. Her hand travelled down to the gun by her waist.

"There's no need to worry," Zero's lips twisted into a wry grin, almost daring her to pull out the weapon, "Victor had a retrieval mission to attend to. Stryker sent me."

"Fine," Neena shot him a dirty look, "Have fun." She stalked past him and out of the cellblock, happy to be free of that hell. She headed upstairs, straight to Wade's room and knocked on the door before letting herself in.

Wade was sitting in bed, reading _Don Quixote_ amusedly. He looked up when Neena entered and his cracked lips curved into a smile.

"Hey," he patted his lap, indicating that he wanted Neena to join him. She grinned and moved to the edge of his bed.

"I have cancer," Wade deadpanned, "Not leprosy. You can come a little closer, you know?"

"Sorry," Neena sighed. She crawled up next to him and rested her head in the crook of his neck, feeling his collarbone through the flesh.

"What's buggin' you, Lucky?" Wade began to play with a stray strand of her dark hair.

"Who's Zero?" she asked. Wade's face fell into a glare.

"Why?" he asked sharply.

"'Cause Victor's gone on some sort of mission and Zero was the one who came to do guard duty after me. I've never even heard of the guy."

"God Bless America!" Wade exclaimed, practically leaping from bed. Neena looked at him, expecting some sort of answer. When he gave none, choosing instead to rifle through his cupboards in search of a shirt, she decided to ask.

"What's going on, Wade?"

"Don't worry," he replied, a baggy t-shirt falling into place over his head, "Just wait here." And with that, he left the room, like a bat out of hell. Neena watched him go with pursed lips, before getting up and leaving herself. As she trudged to her own room, Neena couldn't help mulling over her meeting with Remy and the awful feeling that had gone with it.

For the first time in as long as she could remember, Neena Thurman had felt guilty.

---x

Author's Note:

I hope that chapter was alright. Thanks for much for reading and please continue to do so. All reviews have been appreciated and I would love to get more. Thanks again. – Viviene


	4. Chapter 4

Impasse

Part Four

"You weren't there when I got back," Wade's playful voice was accompanied by a musical knock on her bedroom door. Neena, bouncing a baseball against her ceiling, said nothing. The rendition of _The Itsy Bitsy Spider_ against her door came to an end before Wade spoke again, this time more pleadingly.

"C'mon, Lucky. I know you're in there. Are you gonna make me go buy flowers or something?"

Neena couldn't help but to smile at that, even though she didn't want flowers. What she wanted was an answer as to what had gotten Wade so worked up three hours earlier. She figured the easiest way to pull an explanation from her lovable mercenary's overactive mouth was to play the angry 'I'm almost kind of your girlfriend' card. Catching her baseball, Neena dragged herself off of bed and unlocked her bedroom door, opening it just a crack. Wade took advantage of this immediately, puckering his lips and making kissing motions, with the accompanying noises, towards what little bit of Neena's face he could see.

"Cute," Neena remarked sarcastically. She moved away from the door, allowing Wade to enter as she moved back her to bed, sitting down and crossing her arms.

"What did I do?" Wade asked, sitting down gingerly by Neena's feet. His back was a bit sore. Neena raised her eyebrows pointedly, but Wade continued to stare up at her with puppy dog eyes. Neena caved; she had no choice.

"I want to know what the hell is going on around here," she said bitterly, "I'm completely out of the loop and if I don't get some answers I may start shooting things." It was an empty threat. Wade knew that and chuckled before grabbing Neena's wrist and pulling her down to the floor with him. He knew she wasn't as angry as she was pretending to be as she put up little resistance to his movements.

"Did Stryker ever tell you about Jimmy?" he whispered in her ear, sending shivers up and down her spine. Neena shook her head, almost feebly.

"Well," Wade continued, "He used to be on our team, you know? He looks like this big tough guy, but he had no balls…didn't want to do what needed to be done. Comprende?"

"So what happened?" Neena asked with a nod, her eyes fixated on the wild fire burning in Wade's chocolaty orbs. He looked all the world like a lunatic and truthfully, it frightened Neena. Her gut told her something big was going to be happened soon and it had everything to do with this Jimmy character Wade was telling her about.

"He walked away," Wade answered, "Which didn't really rub Victor the right way, seeing as how they're like brothers or something."

"Oh," Neena tilted her head sideways, trying to picture Victor in a normal human relationship. It was a relatively impossible task. "So, where does that Zero guy figure in to all this?"

"Yeah, him," Wade rolled his eyes in clear distaste for the man, "He never really got along with me and Victor, you know, we were big intimidating guys and he was jealous…" he winked playfully and it was Neena's turn to roll her eyes. She punched Wade light-heartedly, urging him to continue on with his story.

"Hey, watch it," Wade laughed, "I'm delicate."

"Okay, pansy," Neena smirked, "Shut up and continue."

"I technically can't do both," Wade argued, "If I shut up then…" Neena shot him a murderous glare and his mouth closed immediately into a large grin. "Okay, okay," he raised his hands in mock defeat, "If you insist. Anywho, Zero took a _leave of absence_ and it was agreed he would only return when he was needed again. This is that time. Victor went to go…um, find Jimmy, bait him out…fake-kill his gal-pal who's really working for us…all that jazz."

"What?" Neena was almost horrified at the idea, "But why do want him?"

"Healing factor," Wade grinned, "It's gonna make me all better."

"But…"

"Relax," Wade assured her, "It's like Adam and Eve. We have to sin in order to achieve the greater good, am I right?"

"Yeah," Neena attempted to keep all emotion out of her voice. She couldn't have anyone thinking she was the weak link in Stryker's chain when she was supposed to be saving the entire operation. But maybe she was. Neena's powers sometimes functioned subconsciously. Maybe, because of her, this entire plan was finally being put into action. Maybe everything was finally falling into place because of her. She tried desperately to not let that thought make her stomach turn.

"Earth to hottie," Wade's hand waving in front of her face pulled Neena away from her inner thoughts. She smiled at his comment, having a strong feeling that this healing factor would make everything all better. She would no longer have to worry about Wade dying and leaving her behind. The process was a simple DNA injection. It was the exact same method they were going to use on…

"The super weapon," Neena half-gasped. It was Wade's turn to raise his eyebrows.

"Pretty girl say what?"

"All the mutants downstairs," Neena breathed, "Their powers are being cultivated for a super weapon."

"Yeah," Wade nodded slowly, suddenly very interested in the floor. Neena noticed his shift in attention.

"You're the guinea pig," she flew to her feet, fury written plainly on her face, "When were you going to tell me?"

"Whoa," Wade got up as well, albeit much slower than Neena, "Relax there. I'm going to get better. That's all that matters. So what, I have a few extra body parts. There's just gonna be more of me to love." Neena frowned deeply. Wade, who stood a good few inches taller than her, faked a pout before wrapping his thinning arms around her. He rested his head on the top of hers.

"Promise you won't change?" she muttered into his sweat-stained shirt.

"Promise," Wade replied. He loosened his grip on her as she stood on her tiptoes. Their lips found each other and locked in a passionate kiss. Tiny fireworks went off behind Neena's closed eyes. She could not remember ever being happier. Slowly, Wade pushed her backwards onto the bed. The two broke apart for air, a cheeky grin on each of their faces. Just as Neena's hands reach up underneath Wade's shirt, an unimaginably loud horn began to go off. The lights started to flash wildly, on and off, dim and bright.

"What the…"

Neena was cut off by a booming mechanical voice coming from a PA system she did not even know had existed.

"Warning," it blared, "Prisoner escape in progress. South cellblock. Prisoner escape in progress. South cellblock. All available personnel report armed. Warning…"

The words repeated over and over, Wade and Neena standing in shocked silence. As if in a stupor, not believing it was possible, Wade removed himself from on top of Neena. She got off the bed, grabbing the guns she had discarded onto her floor hours ago.

"I guess we should go," she suggested over the robotic voice.

"Yeah," Wade scratched the top of his head, "I just gotta make a quick stop. Left my swords in my other pants."

_---x_

Author's Note:

I hope this chapter wasn't too much of a filler, rather than actual plot. Let me know what you think. As always, thanks to everyone who is reading this and reviews are greatly appreciated. Also, if anyone is bored, please check out my other ongoing story called _Invisible Touch_. I would like some feedback on that. And another also, in a few days (or maybe less) I'll be posting a story a new story so keep your eyes peeled for it. I am so excited! Yay! - Viviene.


	5. Chapter 5

Impasse

Part Five

"Fuck."

It was the least profane expression Wade could think of as he took in the scene that lay before his eyes. Neena stood next to him, her breath caught in her throat.

"You can say that again," she said quietly, her voice barely more than a weak whisper.

"Fuck," Wade took her advice. Neena shot him a quick, exasperated look before she stepped over the unconscious bodies of three men wearing Stryker's uniform, a gun held at the ready, though she knew that it was already too late. Her eyes scanned the room quickly in every direction, resting briefly on each caged mutant pressed up against their cell bars for a better view of what had happened. There was one girl in particular whose gaze made Neena uneasy; a pretty blonde girl with piercing eyes who wore a smug smile on her thin face.

"Must have been quite the show," Wade muttered from behind Neena, careful to _accidentally_ step on his fallen comrades. "Wonder who it was." Neena could have replied, but she didn't. She was well aware of who had broken out, even before she saw Zero's limp form lying in front of an all too familiar cell. And something in her gut, woman's intuition or whatnot, told her she had some hand in the happenings. Subconsciously functioning powers were hard to control.

"Well then," Wade commented as Neena made her way towards the still-smoking cell in a stupor, "I guess they don't call him Zero for nothing."

"Shut up, Wade," Neena hissed, her anger towards herself causing her to lash out. Wade looked at her inquisitively. She simply shook her head and hurried to Zero's side, trying to ignore the eyes that leered at her from ever angle. There was only one pair of eyes missing; dazzling red and dangerous. Neena felt her stomach flip, wishing that those eyes were here.

"He's bleeding," she said, unhappily noting the red liquid oozing from the side of Zero's head. Her legs began to wobble.

"Shame," Wade sighed, beginning to whistle a happy tune. Neena wanted to scream at him for being so stupid, so laid back, so damn unable to be fazed. Instead, she took a deep, calming breath, figuring that more drama would do the situation no good. She quickly ripped lower part of Zero's sleeve from the rest of his shirt, pressing it against the wound on his head. Her head began spinning.

"Neena," Wade was standing right behind her, but he sounded distant, "I figured out who's missing." She didn't turn around; afraid her eyes would give her away. She didn't see the goofy smile on his face or the fact that it did not spread to his frozen eyes.

"Gambit," she muttered, "I'm going to kill him."

"Yeah," Wade's voice was beginning to sound clearer now; the room was no longer tilting off its axis. Neena's throat was tightening anymore and she could breathe again. "That French kid. You can't really kill him if he's not around, y'know?"

Neena grunted in response, pulling one of Zero's arms over her shoulder. She looked pointedly at Wade.

"Help me," she instructed. She heard whispers and wanted desperately to shoot out the eyes of every mutant in the room, but her gun hung uselessly on her waist. Wade looked unhappy, but he obliged, a little afraid of the far away look in Neena's eyes. Balancing the rather surprising weight of their not-so-favourite associated, Wade and Neena slowly turned around to leave the cellblock and bring Zero to the medical wing.

However, when they were met with the dark, malicious eyes of Victor Creed, watching them amusedly from the door, they stopped dead in their tracks.

_---x_

"Would someone please care to explain what happened?"

William Stryker did not sound pleased. In fact, it seemed that his anger radiated off the screen which hosted his image during what could only be described as a brutal conference call. Neena, Wade, and a rather disoriented Zero stood with their heads bowed as Stryker waited for an answer, his lips nothing more than a grim slash. Victor leaned coolly against the wall, a sardonic look on his face. Zero was the first to speak, not looking at the screen.

"Sir," he still sounded drained and uneasy, "At eighteen hundred hours, the prisoner…"

"Put a sock in it," Wade snapped, "LeBeau escaped, end of story. Let's move on and figure out what we're going to do to fix it."

"I've already contacted Dukes," Victor sneered, "He's put the word out to his contacts. This fruit turns up anywhere on our radar and I'll nab him, personally."

"No need," Stryker's lips had turned up at the corners to form a ghastly grin. "The prisoner was disposable. His loss is not a great one. We have, if you will, bigger fish to fry. Now, if you'll excuse me gentlemen, and lady, I've business to attend to."

The screen faded and black and Stryker was gone, replaced by heavy silence. Neena was so lost in her thoughts of how Gambit had escaped she did not noticed Victor stalk towards her until his hand was gripped tightly around her arm, his nails digging into her flesh. Her gaze shot up at him, fury in her eyes.

"Don't touch me," she warned. Victor grinned, his eyes glinting. Wade was by her side in a flurry, swords in hand.

"My, my," Victor snickered, "What have we here?"

"Step off, Victor," Wade growled, "Or…"

"Or what?" Victor raised his eyebrows, "You'll hurt me? I sincerely doubt that. You're a dead man walking." His grip on Neena's arm tightened and she clenched her teeth, her muscles contracting. Neena could hear Wade's laboured breathing behind her. He was trying so hard not to lose it.

"I know you had something to do with this, witch," he growled.

"Excuse me?" Neena's eyes narrowed, "What did you call me?"

"I think you heard me," Victor answered, "You show up here and a few days later the Cajun gets loose. _Excuse me_ for being suspicious."

"Fuck you," Neena hissed. Victor's eyes flashed and suddenly Neena flew backwards, crashing into the opposite wall.

When her dizziness subsided, she stood, a pain coursing through her abdomen. Zero was gone from the room and a heavily breathing Wade stood over Victor, whose knees were planted on the ground as a sword stuck out from his chest. Neena bounded over to Wade's side and grabbed his arm.

"What did you do?" she whispered, horrified.

"A lot less than I should have," Wade's voice was dark and frightening, "He'll be just fine in a few hours. Fucker." Wade spat heartlessly on Victor's strained face. He wrapped his arm around Neena's waist. "Let's go."

Neena bit her lip, almost afraid to say anything. She had finally learned that Wade Wilson was much more than a wisecracking skull-smasher, as he had so quaintly put it once or twice. Wade Wilson was more than capable of getting angry. And God help the poor soul who was the target of that anger.

_---x_

Author's Note:

Not my favourite chapter, but I think it's alright. I hope that you all enjoyed it relatively. Please review and let me know. Thanks again for reading this, it means a lot. Also, thanks to everyone who has added this to their alert/favourite list. I wish I could remember everyone that I've forgotten to send an individual reply to. No matter, you all mean a lot. Thanks again. Also, please check out my other story, _Salomé_. It's going to turn out rather frightening.


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